1. Field
The information disclosed in this patent relates to a system to contain and detect leaks from a toilet.
2. Background Information
Toilets are a vital plumbing fixture that aid in the disposal urine and fecal matter bodily wastes. Toilets have been around since at least 2500 B.C. and their basic operation has not change much since that time. Bodily waste may be deposited into a container, usually a toilet bowl. The toilet bowl sits in a pedestal and may include piping that runs from the bowl to a remote location from a bottom of the pedestal. Water then may be dispensed from above onto the waste to wash the waste into the piping and out the bottom of the pedestal.
A lower opening of the pedestal piping may be connected to a drainpipe through a round flange bolted to the pedestal and fit within the drainpipe. The drainpipe may be tube hard plumbed into a building to connect the toilet to a sewer system. To keep foul odors from entering a house, the toilet pedestal may be sealed to the flange with a thick wax ring. During installation, the wax is squeezed between the pedestal and the iron/plastic flange.
To keep urine, dirt, and mold from lodging itself between the pedestal and the floor, a silicone caulk bead typically is placed around the pedestal between the outer bottom perimeter of the pedestal and the floor. This makes it difficult to detect water leaks resulting from a damaged wax ring seal. Water that resides on the floor hidden below the pedestal may cause damage to joists and other wood structural members supporting the floor and any ceiling below the toilet room floor. It is desirable to address these and other issues.